Fire Emblem: Tag Team Tactics
by SuperNova23
Summary: This is not your average Fire Emblem story. First of, I cut the crap and skipped Lyn's story. Second, there is a second tactician who you will meet in Chapter 2. But her character will take time to flesh out. Rated T just in case.
1. The Adventure Begins!

A/N: This is my first chapter of my first story, so please don't judge me too harshly. This is another FE7 Story, but this one starts at Chapter 11, and has two tacticians.

Chapter 1: Escaping House Ostia:

Hello. My name is Adam, and I am a tactician in the employ of House Ostia. I grew up in Ilia with my close childhood friend, Rachel. We studied together to become tacticians in Etruria, and once we finished our schooling, the Mage General, Lord Pent, allowed us to go roam and explore the world to gain real experience. I went to Lycia while Rachel went to Bern, but lately, I heard she was in Calien recently. Now that your up to speed, let's begin:

I awoke to the sound of Lord Hector shouting something at his brother. I really shouldn't have slept so late, but I couldn't help it. After showering and dressing, I headed off to the library to continue my studies, but my memory fades there.

I regained my senses and vision hearing Lord Hector talk to the spy, Matthew. He knew more then I felt comfortable with, but information was his business. "Milord, you know if you want to help Eliwood, you'll need us."

Hector shook his head, crossing his arms. "No. You're my brother's man, not mine. And he's as green as they come. I'm not trusting my life to you two."

Matthew disappeared, defeated, but not before grabbing me. From a hole in the ceiling we saw the shrouded man attack Lord Hector. Matthew quickly surveyed the area, then brought us down, only to nearly be cleaved by Hector.

"Stay your hand Milord!" I cried, "It's us!"

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" Hector directed the question at Matthew. After receiving confirmation, he looked at me. "Alright then. Guide us out of the castle through these assassins." He said.

I quickly formulated a plan. "Alright. Hector, since your larger and armoured, you go on to take out the spearmen. Matthew, use your speed and nimble fingers to take out the archers and lift Vulneraries from the enemy.

Hector nodded, while Matthew did a mock salute. "Yes sir!" He would get on my nerves quickly. I just knew it.

They both followed orders very well, and at the rear exit, a lone Armour Knight blocked our path. "Alright. Matthew, you can't even dent his armour, so Lord Hector, whack away."

"Gladly." He said smiling. He charged forward, Wolf Biel raised high above his head. It landed hard, cleaving straight through the Knight's armour and killing him in one blow. Hector smiled at us. "Alright. You two can come. But from now on, you work for me. Your contract with Ostia ends, Adam." I nodded. "As long as I get to work, I'm fine."


	2. United We Stand!

A/N: Alright, time to meet Eliwood and his tactician, Rachel.

Chapter 2: Combination Tactics:

As we walked, we were intercepted by two horsemen. I recognized the first one as Sir Oswin from the castle guard. Hector groaned. "Oswin. What are you doing here?"

The knight replied. "The marquess has requested I come with you and bring the cleric Serra along." I sweat dropped and whispered to Matthew, "He just wanted to get rid of her, didn't he?"

Matthew whispered back, "Most likely, though her heal staff will be useful to a tactician like you. It should make your plans more flexible." When I looked back to the others, Hector had just finished talking to Oswin. "Well, it's up to my tactician. Can they come."

I nodded. "They'll be great additions to our team. Matthew, hand out some of those healing medicines we picked up earlier.

After a few hours of travelling, we arrived in Santaruz, where Eliwood and a smaller group of companions were under attack from bandits. After Hector elected to enter the field of battle, I gave my orders. "They have an archer, but Hector, stay alert to the threat of Pegasus Knights. Matthew, go down south with Serra to heal Eliwood's troops and take out those axe users. Oswin, I need you to use your heavy defence to protect Lord Hector." They nodded and set off

Eliwood, Bartre, and Dorcas were slowly losing ground to the bandits while Marcus guarded the tactician, Rachel. Lowen and Rebecca went to scout ahead and fire on the Pegasus Knights swooping down on them. Rachel wiped sweat from her brow. "We can't hold out forever."

As if on cue, Lowen rode back ."Lady Rachel, there are soldiers to the north led by Lord Hector of Ostia." At this, Eliwood smiled. "Hector will be able to help us! Come on. We need to link up with him." Rachel's expression also brightened. "Marcus, come on. Ride out with me! We need to connect with them!"

Hector had managed to beat the remaining Pegasus Knights, while Serra had healed up the wounds on Eliwood's side, under Matthew's protection. I travelled with Osiwn, his armour keeping me safe from any stray shots. Hector and Eliwood moved in on the leader, but they didn't fare too well. It was a lucky shot from Rebecca that took him out.

As Hector and Eliwood caught up, Matthew, Serra and I went to observe the other army. It looked solid, but the largest surprise would be meeting the tactician. "Rachel!" I cried, seeing her. She turned my way, running toward me and giving me a big hug. "Adam! It's so good to see you again! I thought you had a contract with House Ostia."

I nodded, peeling her off of me. "I do. I'm travelling with the Marquess' brother, keeping him alive. And I thought you were in Bern."

She nodded. "While on my way, I passed out in Sacae. A girl named Lyndis saved me, and I helped her re-establish her birthright and claim her place as the Princess of Caelin." She then screamed as Matthew appeared out of nowhere and wrapped Rachel in a hug. "Rachel! Long time no see! It's nice to see you again! You still look as lovely as a Pegasus Knight." She blinked and looked at him. "How did you-"

I smiled. "Information is his business. Leave it at that." Serra quickly ran over. "Ohmygosh! Rachel, it really is you! I suppose you'll lead us on to victory once more?" Everyone stopped and turned at this, because she did have much more experience then me, and was the senior strategist.

She cleared her throat. "There's no one I trust more then Adam. The Ostians are his to command." As she announced this, I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. I shook her hand. "It'll be nice working with you….. Partner." We mounted as we set off for Castle Santaruz to talk to the Marquess about the disappearance of Marquess Pharae.


	3. Shadow of the Fang

A/N: Getting distracted with Final Fantasy and Okamiden. Now all I can think about is Black Mage using Fire Burst

Chapter 3: Team Building

We kept up our steady march toward Santaruz Castle to see Lord Helman. Rachel quickly dismounted and went for a walk. "I'm gonna have a look around. Adam, prepare the troops for battle, just in case." I nodded and started switching about weapons and vulneries. Rachel finished surveying the area, and on her way back, a green-haired Knight shouted to her, causing Hector and Eliwood to run over to her. "

You! You're the girl helping the Pharean whelp, aren't ye?" The knight asked in a thick Scottish accent. Rachel nodded. "And who are you?" The Knight laughed. "What good'll it do ye? You'll soon be worm's meat soon!" Hector growled. "My axe'll change your mind."

The knight laughed, sending chills down Rachel's spine. "We'll see if you can get to the castle! You think you have what it takes to make it to Lord Helman? Get'em boys!" The knight called as a multitude of sellswords appeared everywhere. She ran back with the Lords in tow. "Alright, let's make a new plan." Rachel said, out of breath.

I smiled. "I have an idea. Let's send the Pharaen knights over to the north to visit that village, and the rest of the army moves mouth toward the throne. We'll rout them between us." Rachel beamed. "Great idea! Go to it." She said, and Marcus and Lowen took off.

Rachel and I quickly ordered our units. Oswin and Bartre up front, since they had both close weapons as well as ranged attacks and could take a lot of hits. Hector and Rebecca in the middle, with Dorcas, Eliwood, and Mathew in the rear. Matthew ran to the front at certain points and silently lifted items from the pockets of enemies.

Matthew pointed out something to us. "I know that swordsman! Let me talk to him." I look at Matthew like he was crazy. "Are you sure?" He nodded. "Trust me." After a long look, I relented. "Alright fine. But if it fails, Rebecca's got orders to shoot to kill." Matthew ran off. "Noted."

The spy walked over to the swordsman with the Killing Edge. "Guy! Fancy running into you here!" Guy looked astonished. "Matthew? What are you doing here?" I didn't really follow what happened next, but Matthew somehow talked the swordsman, Guy, to join our party. He then somehow weaseled me out of 200 gold pieces.

Our pincer strategy was working, but before storming the castle, Rachel and I each visited a village nearby. Rachel's village had a merchant who ran out toward Calien, leaving her a torch. In the village I visited, a scary old woman tossed a live explosive landmine into my hands.

I gathered all our soldiers around the castle, and Hector quickly dispatched the lance-wielding knight. Rushing into the castle, we found a bleeding form of Marquess Santaruz. Apparently, the man who stabbed him lacks the simple ability of making a killing blow. With his dying breath, the Marquess told us to go to Laus, "Great, more walking." Rachel whispered sidelong to me.

That night, we kept up a forced march to Laus under Hector's urging. Rachel and I took turns staying awake while the other one of us slept on one of the horses. Rachel woke me up as we came upon the merchant from before being accosted by local bandits. I smiled at Rachel. "Blue Bomber?"

She smiled at me and nodded. "Blue Bomber."

Blue Bomber was a special battle plan we made up for fighting in the dark. Spread out to expand line of sight, then converge together on the stronghold of the enemy. (A/N: I do not recommend this strategy in actual gameplay this early in the game. There is a much later map where it will be helpful) Marcus had to pick up the merchant so he wouldn't get attacked, and Eliwood reached a local village that gave us five thousand gold pieces for defeating the bandits.

I was with Hector, Rebecca, and Lowen when we encountered the leader. He grinned lustily at Rebecca. "I didn't know you had such cute women with ya. Maybe we won't kill all of ya after all!" Hector charged forward, but was hit hard, since his axe was slow and lumbering compared to the bandit's sword. Luckily, Serra was able to heal up everyone as Lowen drove him back.

On Rachel's end, things were going much better. Marcus, Dorcas, and Bartre had seized the fortresses the reinforcements were coming out of, while picking off the horse archers with hand axes and javelins. Oswin and Eliwood were guarding the merchant on the central island, while Matthew and Guy scouted for any stragglers. Eventually, we managed to bring the boss down, and the bandits ordered a full-out retreat.

With that, we quickly lit torches around the perimeter of what would be our campsite, since everyone was too exhausted to go on. Rachel was a little disappointed we couldn't stop in and see Lady Lyndis, but we needed to help Eliwood first and formost. The merchant tried to introduce himself.

"Thank you for saving me! I'm-'

"We'll talk in the morning. Pitch your tent."

"But surely, you-"

"In the morning."

"But-"

I wheeled around to face him. "Do you have any idea how late it is? I have been up for days, travelling from Ostia to Santaruz, now I'm going back. Do not test me." He backed off and quietly set up his tent.

I was glad I got to share a tent with Rachel. Eliwood would spend hours speculating about his father. Hector snored. Matthew would have rifled through everything you own and learned your background before you even fell asleep. Oswin also snored, and Serra was…. Just Serra. I felt sorry for Rebecca. But Rachel and I got to reminisce about old times before we drifted off into the sweet embrace of sleep.

A/N: Wow, I'm tired. It is pretty late when I finally got around to writing this. Hopefully, this is long enough to meet standards.


	4. Ambush!

Well, it seems I get one review per chapter. My latest one confused me quite a bit however. Let me clarify: This is supposed to follow both Hector and Eliwood mode. That is why I have two tacticians. It is supposed to be linked to the game, and follow it very closely. Once I ever finish this, I will make a sequel after taking a break from Fire Emblem. I think my Let's Play is getting to me. Sorry for rambling:

Chapter 4:Do You Believe in Magic:

We were all tired and weary, but we would need to get to Laus. I would have liked to rest another day, but Rachel didn't see it as perfectly necessary, and Hector and Eliwood were getting antsy, wanting to get answers. So we grudgingly marched on, and set up our camp on a ridge, overlooking the castle. We set up the tent of Merlinus, the merchant we rescued, and sat down to eat.

Lowen was on watch. "Milords, Lady Rachel, " He began, indicating the four of us. "A lone rider comes from the castle." Eliwood borrowed Rachel's spyglass to get a better view. "That's Erik!" Eliwood exclaimed. Hector grunted. "we never really got along. I'm going for a ride."

Rachel and I shared a look. We were on a ridge, so we didn't want him to see our camp if hostilities did break out, so we accompanied Eliwood down to se him. He emitted an odd vibe that really set me on edge. "Ah. Eliwood. And your…" He said, looking at us.

"Tacticians." Rachel finished for him. He nodded, "Yes, tacticians." He redirected his attention to Eliwood. "So, have you spoken with Hector recently?" He proceeded to ask other questions, and while Eliwood tried to have a legitimate conversation, while Erik kept steering the conversation back to Ostia. After a while, Eliwood just asked bluntly, "Erik, what are you after?"

Erik smiled. "Eliwood, I've always despised you and your foolish morality. You will die here, and Pharae will be crushed beneath my heel." Hector rode up. "Rachel, Adam, bad news. We're surrounded by Laus knights." Erik gasped. "Have you spoken with Ostia?" Hector brandished his axe. "Maybe we have, and maybe we haven't." Erik shook it off. "No matter. My knights will kill you all here." A horde of mouthed knights appeared all around, as we quickly ran back to camp. Rachel and I quickly devised a plan, as Lowen and Marcus killed the knights that appeared behind them. We quickly examined our position.

"Alright. So we're along a ridge at the north, and the sea to the south. A Village at each end." over the course of our adventures, we learned the invaluable lesson that villages have prizes in them. "So you go for the close village and take the north, and I'll handle the south." We selected the units we wanted. I wanted Guy, Matthew, Eliwood, Bartre, and Marcus. Rachel took everyone else.

Rachel quickly set to work setting up a defensive position, Oswin and Hector dispatching and holding off the Laus Knights that came at them. Rebecca gave some covering fire, as a young mage helped her out by dropping lightning bolts on the soldiers. Rachel recognized him. Against her better judgement, she went with Serra to have him join them.

Erk groaned. "Serra. What is she doing here?" Serra went off on one of her rants, while Rachel tuned her out. Once Serra's lips stopped moving, Rachel spoke. "Long story short, please join us." Erk thought. "Alright, but you need to help the woman I'm escorting. She's taken refuge in the southern village." Rachel nodded. "Of course. You have my word."

On the southern path, things were not so easy. Erik's horses pushed us to the sea, while pirates and Pegasus knights came from the sea to catch us in the middle. We managed to repel the pirates and easily dodge the moves of the clumsy horsemen, who must have been new recruits. After a while, we managed to get to the village through the pouring rain, while I sent some of the units to go shopping for items.

A red-haired woman with a dove feather held in on one side was at the village gates. "I'm sorry, but my answer is still no." I looked at her, cocking my head to one side. "Huh? " She blinked, sizing me up. "Your not a messenger from the Marquess?" A light bulb went off in my head. "I recognize you. You're Lady Priscilla from one of Erturia's noble houses."

She nodded. "Yes. And when the marquess learned of my lineage, he would not permit me to leave." I had an idea. "Then come with us. Can you help in battle?" She nodded, mounting her horse. "Yes. I can use staves to heal your units." I ushered her along. "Then we need you. Now." I said, leading her to my units, all wounded, some more then others.

We managed to regroup as Serra and Priscilla ran around healing everyone. Erik and his last few knights charged forward. Rachel and I did a simultaneous face-palm. Bartre and Dorcas felled the knights, as Hector took out Erik's horse with one blow of his axe. Rachel took his shiny new Silver Lance, and as Eliwood interrogated the lordling, we compared notes about the battle. Laus's soldiers didn't seem to want to fight, and there were only about five or six professional knights.

I collected Matthew's spy report after the interrogation, and as we rested in the castle for a day to regain our strength, not to mention eat Lord Darin;s food and loot his treasury, no matter what Eliwood and Rachel said. I handed Matthew's report to Rachel to read as I went to get some sleep. Everyone could sleep, since we had some turncoat Laus soldiers to keep watch for us, but little did we know who would come knocking...


	5. The Third Lord enters the Fray!

This story will follow Hector Mode more closely then Eliwood Mode, but I'm gonna skip Talons Alight because it adds little to no plot, and is all-around boring.

Chapter 5: Lucky Lady Lyndis

Pacing the halls of Castle Laus, I noticed, that we were wasting time. Marquess Laus could be anywhere, maybe even over the border to Bern by now, taking refuge with the Black Fang. We had looted what we needed from the castle, such as weapons and food, but Rachel said it was immoral to take anything else, but I still had Matthew swipe what extra he could, when he could.

"MATTHEW!" I heard a familiar voice echo down the hall. "I followed the sound to find Rachel. "What did he take this time?

"He took my journal. Again. He claims it holds valuable information for his reports to Ostia, but this is the third time. He has to be messing with me."

I did my best to calm Rachel down. "He's a professional spy. I doubt he'd mess with you, though that is peculiar." The journal in question landed on the ground next to us, as Matthew grinned, hanging like a bat.

Rachel looked up at him. "You're lucky I can't reach you up there!" She shouted. The Ostian raised is hands in defence. "Relax. You're from Ilia, so I was just checking to see if you knew any Pegasus Knights who would want to come help us. And your first crush."

Rachel grabbed a nearby lance and started jumping to skewer Matthew with it. "Wow! I found out where Marquess Laus went, but I'm not telling you until you calm her down!" Most of the company had been drawn in by the ruckus Rachel had made. Priscilla and Rebecca held Rachel back as Matthew dropped down to the ground. "Well, he's charged north into Caelin and taken the castle. No word on Lord Hausen."

The mention of Caelin opened Rachel's eyes. "Lyn! Is she okay?" Matthew shrugged. "I don't know." Rachel instantly began to pack. "Let's go! Come on!" The company quickly packed up and headed out to Lyn's aid.

We all made it to a hill overlooking Castle Caelin, as we saw the archers aiming at a dot in the sky. "Rachel, give me your spyglass for a sec." Using it, I saw a purple-haired Pegasus Knight. "That's what their aiming at!" As the girl atop the winged pony came closer, Eliwood and Rachel recognized her as Florina.

While Rachel began to plan a new attack, knowing the abilities of the Lyndis Legion, Eliwood called to Florina to fly lower. She barely dodged the arrows above her, but she fell off her Pegasus. The horse landed on Hector, while Florina landed in Eliwood's arms, outstretched to catch her.

As she came to, Florina told us that Lady Lyndis and her knights were in the woods to the south. Using this, we set up our soldiers and prepared to set out. Eliwood and Bartre guarded Merlinus' tent, while we split up everyone else. Rachel organised the cavalry to to meet up with Lyn, while I took the infantry to take the brunt of Lord Darin's army.

Rachel set off toward the woods on Marcus's horse, where Sain and Kent met up with her. "Milady Rachel! Good to see you again!" The red haired knight said. "Well met Kent, Sain." She said, nodding to the knights. "Where's the Lady?" Sain just smiled and pointed out the trail of corpses leading out from the forest. "Will's with her in case she needs a Vulnerary." Rachel chuckled, then became the firm commander she was. "Alright, after her! Let's ride!" They all started riding off, Priscilla healing anyone who was hurt.

Meanwhile, I was following the foot soldiers. Oswin, Hector, and Dorcas forming the main frontline. Rebecca and Erk stood in the back, scoring ranged hits, while Matthew and Guy covered the flanks. We slowly made progress as the Laus soldiers kept coming, wave after wave.

Out of nowhere, a flash of green appeared before our eyes and cut through a Soldier, a cavalier, and an armour knight. The figure skidded to a halt. The figure turned out to be a young woman with a long green ponytail, and a Sacaen robe with a slit up to her waist. I bowed, knowing who this was on sight. "Lady Lyndis, I presume?" She nodded. "Yes, now please help me retake the castle." She looked at me more closely. "You look a lot like Rachel. Another Ilian tactician?" As I nodded, she continued. "I thought so. You loo similar, and have the same knowledgeable look about you." We kept going onward, as Florina brought Eliwood and Bartre over the mountains to enter the fray.

At the entrance to Castle Caelin, I regrouped with Rachel. It was guarded by one of Laus' elite knight, Commander Bauker. Will and Rebecca's arrows simply bounced off his armour, and Erk's tome was almost out of pages to cast. In the end, we decided to send the three lords forward to fight.

Hector attacked first, his Wolf Beil crashing down over Bauker. The Knight didged, but was caught by Eliwood's thrust with his Rapier. Lastly, Lyn scored a critical with her Mani Katti, scoring a weak point in the armour, killing him instantly. As Lyn was about to ask who we were, Rachel cut her off. "Milady, please. We have time for introductions later. We have to retake the castle." Lyn nodded. "Right, Rachel .My grandfather is still in there. Time is of the essence."

Okay, I know the ending is abrupt. I started writing this a week ago, and my birthday + Easter + Writers Block is a terrible combination. So, the next chapter, will without a doubt, be Chapter 16, but the chapter after will be a character episode.


	6. Seizing the Castle

This week is hell. Choir rehearsals for hours on end, but that really stirs up my creative juices, meaning I write in my spare time. Also, check out my MvC fanfic please.

Chapter 6: Caelin under Siege

As we stood by the gates, Rachel and I quickly made a plan. "The best way to defend a castle is with Armour Knights and Archers." She nodded. "Alright, so Will, Rebecca, and Erk will come to fire back, and Erk's magic will pierce the Knights' armour. We should also take Matthew." Lyn looked at Rachel with disgust. "My grandfather could be dying, and your first thought is to loot the castle!"

She smiled sheepishly. "It'll help our journey. Besides, we'll return anything we don't need." She turned to Florina. "In the last battle, we picked up this this nice Horseslayer. Mind holding onto it out here for us?" Florina nodded. "Of course Miss Rachel!" I finished detailing the plan. In the end, we decided to send Will with Matthew to look for chests, Kent, Sain, and Lowen would charge ahead and take out the archers with Priscilla healing them, while Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector would engage the stronger enemies, with Rebecca and Erk acting as ranged support.

"Alright, let's go!" Lyn called. The mounted units we had picked surged into the castle, cutting down the archers right there. Lyn came up close behind, slicing through a Knight like it was made of paper. "You have to show me how you do that." Rachel muttered, still awestruck by Lyn's battle technique. I rode behind Priscilla, while Rachel rode with Kent.

Almost right away, Matthew took Will with him to look for treasure down side corridors. Lyn refused to say where any of it was, since she felt it was a waste of time. As we made our way down the narrow corridors, she ran up to me. "I'm not sure if any castle guards survived, but if any did, keep them out of battle. I nodded as she relayed the same message to Rachel.

Soon enough, we reached a branching path. I took Sain and Erk with me. "Come on, we're going this way. Rachel, take everyone else down the other path!" The enemies were more concentrated there, so logic dictated our better fighters should be there. We quietly made our way down the passage. Peeking around a corner, I saw a man with red hair. It wasn't nearly as bright as Eliwood's though. It looked like…. "Lady Priscilla?"

She had walked over to the man. "Raymond? My brother?" The swordsman looked at her. "Priscilla, what are you doing here?" She explained her story, which I had neglected to ask her as of yet. "When I heard what had happened to House Cornwall, I asked my foster father to let me come here. When the Marquess of Laus found about my lineage, he prevented me passage until Lords Eliwood and Hector helped me." Raven seemed startled by this. "Ostia's brother is here? With you?" She nodded. "Yes. Come with us Raymond!"

He seemed lost in though. "Alright. But my name's Raven now." Priscilla pulled her over to where Erk, Sain and I were. "Raven, this is Adam, a tactician for this group, Erk, my escort, and Sain, a knight of Caelin." Raven gave us a passive greeting. Further down the hall, we heard a metal door scrape against the ground. "That must be the soldiers! Sain, go tell them to stay put!" Raven followed him. "I'm sorry, but I need to go pay someone a visit." He said, going down to the prison cells.

I blinked, looking between the bubbly Priscilla and the cold Raven. "You sure he's your brother?" "She nodded. "it's been years, but I'd know Raym- er Raven anywhere." She said. Sain came riding back. "Alright, let's go see how far Lady Lyn got."

All we passed were bodies, either hit by an axe, or by an expert sword cut. As we got closer to the throne room, I saw a door left open. Inside, Rachel and Rebecca were using a ring of Chest Keys they found to get treasure. "I can't believe you." I said, watching. "Oh hush." She said, pulling out what they had found/stolen/ She was holding an Angel Robe and a Knight Crest. "Alright, I won't argue with that."

We quickly made our way to the throne room after storing the treasures in a place where Matthew would be sure to find them. There, Lyn had her blade at the Knight's chin. "Stand down now, and we can avoid further bloodshed." He laughed. "I heard Caelin's princess was fast. I'd like to see how fast with my own eyes." A smile crept onto her face. "Are you sure?" As he nodded, Lyn's smile grew. "You've been dead for twenty seconds." With that, he slumped forward as blood leaked from holes in his armour. "Mental note, do NOT piss off Lyn." Eliwood said to me as they went into the back of the throne room.

There, we found a trail of blood, as well, as a pink-haired woman cleaning it up. Lyn's hand flew to her sword hilt. "Where is my grandfather?" The woman stopped wiping up the blood. "Relax. He's hidden, resting. The wound he received was not fatal." Hector and Matthew came in as well. "Leila? What are you doing here?" Hector asked. Lyn's gaze drifted to him, making him uneasy. "She's one of Ostia's top spies." She then answered Hector's question. "I was ordered by your brother to look into the Black Fang. An elite assassins guild from Bern."

Rachel's interest was caught by this. "Really? Can I hear what you found?" Leila nodded, and ushered Rachel along. Turning to the Lords in the room, "Well, her interest will be kept by that all night, so why don't we spend the night? After all, you can go check on your grandfather." At the mention of him, the green-haired girl was off like a flash, running to where Leila said he was.


	7. The Winds of Change

Author's Note: This took a long time to write. I'm going to start a proper Megaman fanfic, so stay tuned for that. Also, I want to make a tie-in that follows FE6's plot, but I don't think I'm far enough along to start that. Give me your thoughts.

Chapter 7: Rest Up and Regroup

After Rachel finished talking to Leila, she quickly left while Serra and Priscilla healed up Lord Hausen. They found spare rooms and split up into different rooms. Lyn slept alone in her own room while Eliwood and Hector shared a room. Matthew didn't have a room, in fact, no one was really sure where he was. Serra and Priscilla shared a room, and Raven took a room with his follower, Lucious.

Kent and Sain were roommates, as per usual, while Will and Erk got a room. Oswin stayed up to check up on the remaining guards. Florina and Rebecca had to share with Rachel, which was one of the largest rooms, desk and all. Matthew and Oswin were supposed to be in my room, but they were out all night, thankfully.

I quickly fell asleep, but after a few hours, I woke up to the sound of violin music. I groggily got up and stumbled around, looking for the sound. I saw a light on in Rachel's room. I knocked, and heard Rebecca unlocking the door and opening it. She smiled. "Ah! It's you! Rachel wanted to speak to you in the morning, but now's as good a time as any!"

Florina set down the violin Rebecca was teaching her to play, and Rachel looked up from her journal, with a map spread out on the table. "Well, I was up planning our next move-" I laughed. "Honestly Rachel. Just relax and go to sleep. We're going to be on the road for a long time."

"I know!" She snapped. "But I can't just stop. Tomorrow, we leave for the port of Badon. After all, it's the closest point to Valor." With that, all movement ceased. Florina and Rebecca exchanged shocked looks while I fumbled for words. "Are you out of your mind? You do know it's called the Dread Isle for a reason." Rachel nodded. "And yet, it's where the Black Fang have set up shop." I sighed, my head in my hands. "Why me? Why us?"

Florina sighed. "Should I get Lyn?" Rachel nodded. I added. "Also, have her bring Lords Eliwood and Hector along, please." Florina nodded. and ran off. Rebecca set down her violin and got up. "I better go get Lords Eliwood and Hector. You know how Florina gets." She said, darting off, leaving where they were clearly not needed.

Soon after, the three Lords entered, pulling up chairs around the desk, looking at the map Rachel had laid out. It looked like a normal map a tactician might have: It outlined the different countries and provinces of Lycia, as well as the tribal boundaries of the Sacaen nomads. The odd thing was that there was a red circle around the Isle of Valor. Rachel quickly explained.

"Alright, that is where the Black Fang is based here. It's where Marquess Laus fled, and it's where Lord Elbert went." She looked from Eliwood to Hector. "It's where Leila went. Eliwood solemnly looked at the two tacticians. "We leave in the morning." We all looked at Eliwood with concern. "Are you sure?" Lyn asked, concern laced in her voice. He nodded. "I need to know the truth, even if I'm scared of what it is. We leave in the morning."

Rachel and I nodded. "We'll see to it that we leave at first light." As the Lords left to get sleep, we set about making sure essentials were packed. We didn't worry about weapons, since Merlinus kept close track of them. Their supply train was loaded up by the time the sun was rising, so they left waking everyone up to Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn while we took a quick nap in the back of their supply wagon.

We woke up to the smell of salt water in the air and the cries of seagulls. Eliwood and Hector were off somewhere while Lyn was brooding about something. Daring to risk provoking her, I asked her what was wrong. "I can't believe they're enlisting the help of pirates." She grumbled. "Well, it makes sense. Not many normal sailors will even dare to get close to Valor." I explained. "Anyways, what is your problem with pirates?" I asked, but before she could answer, Rachel cut in. "Bandits. That's all you need to know for now." Lyn nodded. "Pirates are bandits of the sea."

Eliwood and Hector came out of the tavern. Before they made it to us, however, a pirate ran over to them and loudly explained. "Captain Fargus wants to play a game. IF you can make it to him without dying, then he'll give you free passage!" Suddenly, a burden fell on us. Except this time, we'd be fighting in an unfamiliar city against seasoned seamen. We figured less people would suit us better in the cramped streets, and a plan slowly unfolded in our minds.

We decided we needed Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector. Raven would also be useful, since his swordsmanship would be a valuable asset. Priscilla and Serra were both needed as healers for their plan to work. Somehow, we found Oswin a Lancereaver, which was very helpful. We decided to bring along Rebecca and Erk as well to be our ranged attackers. We were ready to confront the pirates in their home town.

First, we sent Oswin south, with Erk and Priscilla close behind to attack and heal. We ordered Raven to go around the outer wall of the town, taking out the pirates there. Lyn followed Oswin, while we trusted Hector's armoured bulk to hold out with Serra's healing touch. Rebecca visited one of the villages.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" A man with a cloak and monocle approached. "Ah! Are you fighting those pirates? Let me help you." She cocked her head, looking quizzically at him. "Can you fight?" He nodded. "I fight using ancient magic. Some people refer to it as the dark arts." This set Rebecca on edge. "Are you sure you won't misfire a spell and hurt one of us?" "Are you sure you won't misfire an arrow and hurt one of us?" He retorted, making her blush and clam up. "And I am quite sure in my abilities." Rebecca brought him over to us. "I found a Shaman who wants to fight with us. Can he join?" We both nodded. "We're happy for the help."

Soon, four riders showed up. It didn't take a genius to see that they were Black Fang. Their leader, being a cunning tactician himself, tossed a rock over the wall. It hit a pirate on the head, and the sailor quickly alerted his friends to be struck by an arrow. Of course, they naturally assumed we attacked them, and so they charged. However, Oswin and Hector were positioned at choke points, preventing the pirates from using their superior numbers against us. Rebecca, Erk, and Canas were able to help thin out their ranks. Lyn ran out with her Killing Edge to attack the horsemen. With the style and weight of the blade. She easily sliced through them like a hot knife through butter.

After the pirates were disposed of and Serra and Priscilla had healed everyone up, we met up with Raven, stained with blood, but looking infinitely pleased with himself. "That was a good warm-up. I'm truly ready to help you with those Fang members you told me about." Priscilla ran over to him. "Raven. Don't talk like that." She quickly healed him and talked him down. We collected gifts from villagers wishing to aid us, most notably a Sleep staff.

Rachel, Eliwood and I approached Fargus. "We win, you give us passage." He let out a hearty laugh. "Ye did good. A man o' the sea keeps his word. Hurry aboard. We're setting sail soon!"


	8. Stormy Seas Ahead

I'd like to thank Metaknight4ever for all their help and offering to read and critique this piece of trash I call a story

Chapter 8: Stormy Seas

Well, we're four days into our voyage, and frankly, I'm seasick. In between heaving over the side of the boat, I was watching our party members mill around. Marcus, Lowen, Kent, and Sain spent most of their time in the ship's hold, where we had to stable their warhorses for the duration of the trip. Priscilla's pony was small and sure-footed enough to stay on the rocking boat, and Florina's Pegasus had no problem with the rocking boat.

Matthew, as per usual, was nowhere to be found when you wanted him. Serra, however, was talking off the ear off anyone who would listen. She had already talked to Erk for three hours straight, and was now tutoring Priscilla on the proper way to use a Heal staff. I now see why Erk gave me his tomes before the trip. At least one of our mages was making good use of their time. Canas and Rachel were poring over books and maps of the Dread Isle, trying to figure out things such as the best point to land and the reason the Black Fang wanted it anyways.

Rebecca and Will had set up a little target range to practice with to keep their skills up, while the Lords were sparring. Eliwood seemed to be winning the most matches, but I didn't pay too much attention. Guy spent a lot of his time being seasick with me, which I was grateful for. As the old saying goes, misery loves company.

Raven stood off in the corner. After the training we did in the arena, I figure he might be almost ready for the Hero's Crest we "borrowed" From Castle Caelin. Lucious stood near him. Raven always unnerved me. He looked at anyone except Lucious and Priscilla like he wouldn't mind killing us.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a voice calling from the crow's nest. "Sir Adam! Lady Rachel! Look at this!" Florina called. We looked at each other on the ground. We knew we couldn't climb the rope up to the top. "Just toss down the spyglass! I'll look down here!" Rachel said, nicely catching it as Florina tossed it down.

After taking a look, she handed it to me. "Take a look at this. Do you recognize the flag?"

I looked, and saw three ships approaching out of the fog. "Never seen it before."

Our attention was quickly distracted by a smaller boat in the water. "Look Rachel! There's a girl in that boat!" Rachel looked as the sailors pulled it aboard. "Ninian!" She said, running over to her. The shout got the same reaction from Eliwood and Lyn.

Hector and I watched, confused. "You know her?" I asked Rachel, while Hector asked his fellow lords at the same time. They all nodded. Rachel explained. "A year ago, Lyn and I worked to rescue her from the Black Fang. We weren't fast enough, but luckily Eliwood here was able to save her in time." Just then, the boat shook. "Captain!" one of the pirates from below called, "We've been struck! Water's pouring in!" Now, I could take this time to go into naval combat, but I'd rather not. The cloaked figures on the boats, now next to us, laid planks for boarding. At the sailor's frantic calls, Captain Fargus and all the other ship hands went below to stop the leaks, while we ran to the stern of our ship, where we had set up Merlinus' tent. We left Ninian in his care, and set out with our weapons. We took a quick look around while outfitting our units. "The western ship only seems to have Shamans, so Canas, Lucious, Erk, and Florina can take that side with me." Rachel nodded. "But also take Serra and Matthew. You'll want a healer and physical fighter."

As we set up our formations, I whined. "Why do I get Serra?" Of course, at the mention of her name, she ran over and grabbed me. "Oh! This is wonderful1 We're going into battle together! I know you'll treat me right and not put me in any danger, right?" I spoke up after she let go to let me breathe. "Well actually-"

"Oh, you are SO kind! I think it's time that Priscilla started pulling her weight on her team!" Serra was good at heart, but her over-bubbly personality and thoughts of self-righteousness were hard to get over.

Rachel was busy getting her side ready. Our mounted units were under with their horses, so they couldn't help us much. The enemy was mostly swordsmen and archers so Rachel made her choices. She had with her: Oswin, Raven, Lyn, Eliwood, Will, Rebecca, Priscilla, and Hector. She had to bench Dorcas and Bartre, since they didn't have armour like Hector, and their axes wouldn't work well against swords. She also let Guy off the hook, on account of seasickness.

I noticed Florina looking a little nervous. "Florina, are you okay?" She jumped when I spoke. "I-I'm f-f-fine. Why do y-you ask?" I shook my head. "Never mind. Just go fight with Rachel, and stick close to Lyn, since there are archers. Also, give Rachel this." I said, handing her the landmine the woman gave me. Florina nodded and went over to Rachel.

"Adam told me to fight with you, and to give you this." Rachel took the landmine, then looked at the boarding planks being laid down. On my side, it was one plank two people wide, but on Rachel's side, it was much thinner. Two planks, but only one person could fit on it. She smiled. "Hey, Florina, when everyone starts moving, you think you can set this on one of the planks for me?" When the lavender-haired girl nodded, Rachel beamed. "Excellent."

The boarding planks were in place, and we were ready to meet the new enemies. I had Matthew run up front, after sprinkling some Pure Water on himself. Erk and Lucious stood as backup. Luckily, Canas was preoccupied with chanting from his tome. It was now that I noticed something odd about Dark magic. With Anima spells, you could aim them in any direction. With Light spells, you cal the light down to hit your opponent. Dark Magic has a telltale sign of where it will show up. Luckily, everyone was skilled enough to jump out of the way whenever they saw the signs. I came up close, after using a Pure Water, of course. Canas was chanting so fast, the enemy Shamans almost had no time to react, and Erk and Lucious were herding them onto the next area of target for his Flux, but they kept coming.

I noticed four Flux marks around me. "This will not end well." As Matthew slashed at another Shaman, he began chanting and a new mark appeared right under me. Suddenly the spells erupted around me, and while the Flux didn't hurt me, I felt my energy drain away, and go into the Shaman who Matthew attacked. "Watch out! That's a Nosferatu book!" Canas called. "Thanks for telling me now…" I said weakly as Serra healed me up.

On Rachel's side, things were going much better. She had Florina place the land mine, and when the first Myrmidon stepped on it, it blew a wide gap in the boarding plank, blocking the path for the enemy. Will and Rebecca took turns shooting the enemy across the gap, and by request, Florina dropped Raven on the other boat, where he defeated them with help from Lyn and Eliwood.

Florina had been flying around with Rachel on her Pegasus with her to scout the battlefield. Something crept back into her mind. "Wait.. WHAERE'S THE THIRD SHIP!" She practically screamed as it came up in front of Fargus' ship to dock. This one dropped off both swordsmen and Shamans. "Lovely…" Rachel said sarcastically. "Florina, get your Javelin ready." She said, sending in Eliwood and Oswin with Will as backup.

Seeing what Rachel did, I sent in Lucious along with Matthew to take on the new front. Priscilla was working her Heal staff for the fighters while Serra went to heal everyone else up. We managed to rally our forces in case our frontline fighters needed a break. After about an hour, Captain Fargus and his crew came out, having patched the holes in the hull and having pumped out the water. "Yar! Who's first? C'mon lads! Let's carve these scurvy dogs some new gizzards!"

After the three Black Fang ships were sunk, we laid back and relaxed. Rachel walked me, talking with Canas about his elder magic and the more powerful spells, such as Luna, Eclipse, and even Bramimond's legendary tome Apocalypse. She flashed me a smile, making me blush red.

"Well, how's it going Romeo?" I jumped, seeing Matthew next to me. "When did you get here?"

He smiled. "Let's say it's not hard sneaking up on someone with their head in the clouds like you."

I regained my composure. "We're just friends. That's all we ever were. Now you can mock me when you make your move with Leila, got it." I would feel like a real ass for saying this in the near future.

He smirked. "Fair enough. See you around, Tactician." He said, scampering off somewhere. Oh well, I don't care where he went. I was going to enjoy my last three days of relaxation before our dismemberment on Valor.

_Here it is. R&R folks. I tried to do better to make up for my poor last chapter._


	9. The Dread Isle

_Alright, before I start this, I want to say that the Tacticians have weapons now. All of their skills are Rank E, except for Dark Magic, which is D, since there is no Level E tome. Adam uses A Slim Sword, Slim Lance, and a Short Bow. Rachel has Flux, Lightning, and Fire. They are new to their weapons, which is why the weapons are all Slim, and Rachel takes longer than other mages to cast spells. Hope you don't mind._

_On with the show!_

Chapter 9: The Dread Isle

We had spent the last three days training how to use weapons, since the Black Fang could strike at our weakest link, which was us unless we could fight. So while Rachel spent all day reciting and memorising spells under close watch from Erk, Canas, and Luscius. While she was doing this, I was sparring. I had to shorten part of my Slim Lance to make it effective on foot.

I sparred with Eliwood, Lyn, Hector, and Marcus. All of who beat me soundly, but I was able to score hits. Eliwood was very balanced, and didn't have any weakness to exploit. Lyn was far too fast, but I was able to make her trip and fall with my lance. Hector had the opposite problem. He was slow enough that I could duck under his guard and get in quick hits.

Our agility improved quite a bit since we started practicing, for we were now able to hold our own in a fight. We were no longer burdens on the team who needed a guard, and now we could plan even better strategies.

On the Dread Isle Fargus let us off. "We'll wait for two weeks. Finish up by then." Hector nodded. "That's more then enough time." Fargus turned to leave. "Oh, I also got a pirate who fancies himself a little sightseeing." He said, boarding the ship as a pirate ran off and the ship sailed off into the thick fog. "Ahoy! I'm Dart, leader of Captain's suicide squad.

"Cheery fellow." Rachel whispered to me. I covered my mouth to hide my laugh. As we walked, Matthew in the lead, we suddenly saw a figure. "Hold on!" Matthew crept forward, then there was nothing. We, Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector walked forward. When we got close enough, we saw a flash of magenta hair. "Leila." Hector and I breathed, it was barely a whisper.

The body was propped up against a tree, meant to look like a figure prepared to attack in the fog. It was clear from the deep red spot on her tunic that one cut was all it took to fell one of Ostia's best spies. This sank all of our spirits, but Matthew, normally the clown, was taking this the hardest. "When this was all over, I was going to ask her to put this life behind her and settle down with me…" Rachel put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Matthew looked at us, picking up Leila bridal style. "Do you mind if I go put her to rest?" I nodded. "Go ahead. Take all the time you need." Hector and Eliwood went to follow him, but Lyn and Rachel grabbed their arms to hold them back. "Just leave him to be alone. We can win this battle and avenge her. Come on." Lyn said. "It'll be hard without his eyes, but we'll think of something." I said, moving to plan with Rachel.

We had finished outfitting everyone for battle, and were planning how to attack, when out of the fog, a mounted figure grabbed Lyn. "Lyndis!" I called. The figure spoke, "Leave this place, and I will trade her for the girl. Lyn looked the figure in the eyes. "Wait! You're a child of Sacae as well!" The man did a double take, then let Lyn go. "It's shameful using a woman as a hostage. I will let you die with a sword in your hands. But first, know it is I, Uhai, that killed you.

He retreated into the fog as we heard troops swarm in the darkness. Suddenly, we heard a lone pair of steps, and out of the thicket burst Matthew. "Matthew! Rachel and I cried, the former embracing him **(A/N: This is not MatthewxOC, after all, that's just low, catching him on the rebound like that.)**

We decided to bring the three lords, Matthew, Florina, Raven, Oswin, Canas, Priscilla, Serra and Erk. With Dart on our squad as well. Before setting up, we had Matthew take a quick look around. "There's Pegasi and Pirates all around us, but a bunch of Nomads to the south."

I took Hector, Oswin, Serra, Matthew and Florina to take out the faster and ranged units to the south of us, while Rachel took everyone else north and around the battlefield. We had a spare moment, so I asked Matthew, "So what made you come back?" HE had a grim smile on his face. "If Leila knew I was shirking my duties, she'd never forgive me. I need to work twice as hard in her honour." By force of habit, I reached into my pocket, feeling my missing gold pouch.

"And get paid twice as much?" At this, Matthew laughed. This restored our spirits as Matthew told me where to shoot with my Short Bow, and told me if I hit or missed. Arrows bounced harmlessly off of Hector and Oswin's armour, while they retaliated with Hand axes and Javelins. Serra healed when needed, and Florina took out faster units, like enemy thieves, one of which had a torch staff.

Soon we heard the flapping of wings, and a new Pegasus Knight flew down and threw a Javelin at the nomad I was about to take out. "Kill-stealer." I muttered as Florina looked at the girl. "Adam! I know her! I need to talk to her!" I nodded. "Go ahead!" And before I knew it, we had Florina's older sister, Fiora on our side.

Rachel had an easy enough time. She stood in the back with Canas and Erk while Lyn, Eliwood and Raven protected them from the axmen. They picked up a Longbow and a few sets of torches for their troubles, Priscilla making sure to keep them safe.

Together, we closed in on Uhai, who Rachel and I fought. For our first boss, he was rather hard. If I got close, he used his Steel Sword, which I was just barely able to avoid with my Slim Lance in hand. And when Rachel tried to attack with magic, he fired back with the Longbow. We were both getting tired, and quickly crafted a plan.

I charged at Uhai with my Lance in hand, while a familiar dark circle appeared under my feet. Rachel began chanting as Uhai charged at me. I jumped to the side, and he stood where I stood before. Suddenly, Rachel finished, and a ball of Flux came and hit him. One final stab with the sword, and he was down.

As he lay dying, he handed us an Orion's Bolt and said, "You have done…well. You are stronger… Stronger then I expected. Out of… respect, a final gift from me….. Go south.. Turn at the rotted tree….. Head west to find the Dragon's-" And with that, the breath left his body.

"Do we trust him?" I asked those assembled with us. Matthew shook his head. "I say no. After all, he may be leading us into a trap." Lyn spoke up. "I believe him. After all, he let me go before, and he knew something of honour. Also, the people of Sacae do not lie." Rachel nodded. "I'm with Lyn." Eliwood agreed. "It's the only lead we have, and I'm willing to follow it." I decided to agree with them. "If we are led into a trap, that just means less resistance later on."

Hector, willing to side with Matthew, finally gave in. "Alright, we'll follow these directions. But this better lead us to Eliwood's father." He grumbled as we marched onward, out of the coastal fog toward the heart of Valor.


	10. Magic Lock

_Seeing the negative reactions I got for giving the Tacticians weapons, I'm going to change that. Rachel only uses Dark magic, while Adam uses lances. Now please get off my case. It was an experiment, just testing the waters. Also, I was thinking of them being able to promote right near the end. Give your thoughts please._

**Chapter 10: Magic Locks**

We went deeper into the thicket, and thankfully, the fog faded as we got away from the coast. Luckily, the forest had little undergrowth and was easy to make progress through. As such, we sent out our cavalry to scout ahead, since the forest was open enough for them to move quickly.

We slowly marched forward as we waited for our scouting parties. The first to return were the Pegasus sisters, Florina and Fiora. "Anything to report?" Rachel asked the two, and received simple shakes of the head. "No Black Fang movement to the north, just more forest." The second group back was Marcus and Lowen. They reported much the same in the south.

Finally, Kent and Sain returned. "What news?" I asked, not expecting much. "We heard the heavy footsteps and clanging of armour near a mountain ridge." Kent replied. Sain spoke up. "We figured only the black Fang would be mobilizing here." We nodded. "Alright, it is the direction Uhai told us to go, and even if we're off-course, we can nip this in the bud." Rachel and Hector readily agreed, while Eliwood seemed apprehensive.

Rachel and I walked near the front, behind Kent and Sain, who were acting as guides, as we saw the mountain range come into sight. If we strained our ears, we heard the clank of metal armour moving, and we were sure it wasn't Hector or Oswin, We set Merlinus' tent and started to survey what we could of the field until Ninian called out, "Sir Adam! Lady Rachel! Move quickly!" We both jumped back as a lightning bolt struck where we were just standing.

"What on earth was that?" Priscilla asked. "A Bolting Tome." Rachel said. "We learned about them under Count Regley." I continued. "They're extremely rare, and if they're using one here, then we better not take them lightly." We were interrupted by a nearby shouting match between, not surprisingly, Lyn and Hector.

"Walk quietly! Your armour is too noisy!"

"… How's this?"

"You're still clanking!"

"This equipment is not light! How do you propose I walk 'Quietly' in this?"

"Stop yelling at me! It's because of that clattering armour you're wearing! I'm just saying we have to move cautiously!"

"I know! And I'm saying I'm doing my best!"

Luckily, Eliwood stepped into to intervene. "Do you two mind? Armour or no, if you two keep shouting, every enemy from here to Pharae itself will here you." Lyn checked her voice. "Alright. I understand. Sorry."

"Hate to interrupt this," Rachel said, "But they already know we're here." She said, motioning to the smouldering patch of grass hit by the Bolting. "We've decided that we need to strike quickly, so we're going to use Florina, Sain, Bartre, you three, Raven, Priscilla, and Erk. Kent will stay behind to guard Merlinus." The first question from Lyn was, "If you want us to be fast, why leave Kent?" I smiled. "Well, these mountains form a barrier passable only by Pegasi and wyverns. And that is why we need to leave someone who can use swords and lances. Flying units primarily use lances, but may be carrying Axereavers."

Lyn smiled and nodded, finding that answer acceptable. We lined up for battle, with Rachel on Florina's Pegasus, and I was behind Sain on his horse. What we saw arrayed before us was a series of Mages and Armour Knights. "Lovely." I said sarcastically. "Erk, Hector, you two get to work in the knights! Raven, use the Armourslayer and help them!"

Florina, Rachel, Lyn, Eliwood, Sain and I went to work on the mages, while Bartre went to attack the Knights with the others there. Priscilla healed when necessary.

About twenty minutes into the fight, an eerie presence settled over the battlefield, as all magic ceased. Rachel's Flux vanished, mid-cast, and the flurry of fireballs from the mages ceased. Rachel flew down in a panic. "My magic! It's not working!" I got off and boosted her onto Sain's horse, against my better judgement. "We still need Florina in case magic starts up again. You two should visit the ruins over there, maybe you'll find something nice."

Rachel and Sain rode over there, and met an Elimine Bishop. He handed them a Goddess Icon, saying it may help us "survive longer". He clearly has no faith in us. What a prick. I hope we never encounter him again, but, I digress. The magic seal stayed in place, so Erk and Priscilla determined the range of it, then kept outside of it to cast spells on anyone within range, or to heal up anyone who needed it.

As we got closer, I noticed the source of the seal. There was a hooded figure surrounded by two Knight and two Snipers. I also noticed a flock of Pegasi flying over the mountain. "I knew it. And Kent should be fine. Merlinus has plenty of Vulneraries and weapons to give him."

By this point, I noticed that some fighters performed better when they were near others, such as Will and Rebecca, or Lyn and Florina. I decided to write it off as they felt comfortable around the person, but when I noticed it with Lyn and Eliwood, I couldn't help to think there was a little more to it.

Hector took down the boss, Aion, with relative ease since his spells were disabled. His last plea before he was slain was, "Thunder! Thunder, hear my cry!" Finally, it was just the cloaked figure and his guards, but Rachel caught up with me, and decided we should take out the seal, just in case.

He hastily took out the guards, I even took down one of the Snipers, just let the more experienced fighter attack the Seal, to make sure we didn't miss. Raven, Florina, Lyn and Eliwood together made it fall, and it appeared to have suffered a deathblow as it fell, but the body warped away.

We had little time to ponder this, however, as we had Merlinus pack up and headed into the depths of the ruins Aion was guarding, which would hopefully lead us to the dragon's Gate.

_So, tell me what you think. Oh, and I should have mentioned this earlier, but Rachel and Adam are technically not OC's. Adam is me, or at least as close to me as possible, and Rachel is my best female friend. I just superimposed our personalities on these characters. Anyways, please, R&R_


	11. Dragon's Gate

_Hey guys! Busy with exams, but almost done! I will be gone for all of July, so about a month without updates. I'll try to get a second update to this before I leave, but no promises._

**Chapter 11: The Dragon's Gate**

On our third day on the Dread Isle, we finally broke out of the forest. Hector, Dorcas, and Bartre were in front, clearing out most of the undergrowth in our way. As they reached the edge of the forest, they all stopped suddenly. Rachel, Eliwood, Lyndis and I all poked our heads around them to see. What we saw made us all gasp in shock.

In front of us, there was a magnificent building that looked to be made of marble, but it had not weathered with age. Marble tended to scratch easily, but upon closer inspection, there wasn't a single imperfection in the surface. We let out a collective sigh as the shock wore off, only slightly.

As we began to filter out of the forest to see the Dragon's Date, Ninian and Rachel stuck closer together. In fact, they had been closer since the last battle. I gave the order to set up, as Rachel, with Ninian, and I began to plan. We saw a few doors, and figuring that since the building looked like marble, it could be broken through in some areas.

As we were ready to issue orders, we felt a eerie cold breeze blow behind us. Lyn, who turned to face us, shouted. "Adam! Rachel! Ninian, move!" We all jumped back as Ephidel stood behind where just were, grinning his eerie, soulless smile.

His voice sent chills down my spine as he issued his ultimatum. "Give us the girl, and leave this place. You will not die of you comply. Rachel and I stepped in front of Ninian, the only ones closest to intervene as he moved forward towards Ninian. "Don't count on it!" I said, grabbing a nearby iron lance, while Rachel reached for a nearby magic tome.

Ephidel just walked, almost glided forward, and before we could try to attack, he had embedded his talon-like hand into my shoulder, while he raised his other hand toward Rachel. After throwing me aside, he materialised a large fireball. "Elfire!" Rachel ran for cover as the fireball erupted into a pillar of fire right where she was standing a few moments ago. Ephidel then grabbed Ninian, not with his claws like he did to me, mind you, and warped away.

The small confrontation lowered everyone's spirits at how effortlessly Ephidel had tossed us around. Serra walked over to me, and as her Heal staff began to glow, I felt the tissue and muscle repair itself. It hurt, but not as much as one would think, because the magic acted like a painkiller while fixing wounds. Rachel looked sad, but not like the rest of us. Something just seemed… different about her. She seemed more shaken then everyone else. Then again, she had grown close to Ninian over the past little while, plus she knew her from helping Lyn a year ago.

I start issuing orders. "Alright, the plan we came up with is: Hector, you'll lead the main force up straight to the throne, while Eliwood, you take Florina, Guy, and Rebecca around since the wall's a bit weaker there. "Canas and Will, you two guard Merlinus and Matthew, grab as much treasure as you can hold." I knew sooner or later I'd need to ask Rachel about it, but luckily I didn't have to.

Eliwood approached Rachel about her distant personality. "Rachel, is there something you're not telling us? You've been distant ever since Ninian was taken." She sighed. "Now may as well be a good enough time to tell you." She said, grabbing a bucket and dunking her head. When she resurfaced, brown dye was coming out and Ninian's blue hair was showing. Everyone gasped in shock. Eliwood was the most stunned. "Ninian… How?"

She began to explain. "Well, it was her idea. She figured they'd try to take me back, since the Black Fang was after me last year. So she decided that before coming here, we'd switch clothes and she dyed our hair. That's why I wasn't able to defend her with the Flux book. I don't know how to use it."

I looked on in shock. "So she's-" Ninian nodded. "Trying to fight Nergal. But let me help you in this battle." Lyn looked Ninian up and down. "You can do what Nils did, right" The blue-haired girl nodded again. "Yeah. I can refill your energy, but I can do a special dance to help raise your defences." I nodded. "Alright, for now, go with Eliwood's group, and Priscilla, you go with them too." Rachel and I both make it a priority to keep everyone alive.

As a last touch, I gave Serra a Lightning tome and a Guiding Ring. "Serra, I want you to have this." She giggled. "Oh, Adam, of course I-" I cut her off as soon as I could. "No. This is a Guiding Ring. It enhances the power of a magic user that is deemed worthy, and I think you're ready to become a Bishop." I also gave her a Lightning book. "And since Bishops can use light magic, here's one to defend yourself with." She grinned. "Thank you! I need to go tell everyone now!" I stopped her from running off. "Just, stay focused so we can end this quickly. Both Eliwood's father and my best friend are on the line here." She nodded. "I understand."

-Dragon's Gate Inner Chamber-

Nergal threw Ninian to the ground in disgust. "You little bitch! You think you could pull the wool over my eyes? Well, since you took the trouble of coming here, let's see what you can do!"

'Ninian' (Okay, we all know it's Rachel) climbed onto one knee. "Alright then, Flux!" The attack harmlessly bounced off Nergal. "Good effort from a third-rate Shaman, but now it's my turn!" Nergal launched his attack, the power causing Rachel to black out almost instantly, the only thing that kept her alive was a blue barrier Ninian had placed around her before. Ephidel looked at the barely breathing girl. "Her quintessence is almost as good as Lord Elbert's." Nergal's mouth formed into a sinister smile. "Well then, they will both be good to harvest. But we must wait until her friends hand-deliver the girl to us."

"Yes Master." Ephidel said, melting into the shadows

-Dragon's Gate Exterior-

Hector's force managed to bait all the mounted units and Armour Knights over to the narrow corridor where their numbers were easier to manage. Hector got a Halberd with helped against the horsemen, while Oswin was using the Horseslayer we got in Caelin. Raven had an Armourslayer and Kent had a Heavy Spear to handle the Knights.

Erk and Serra were in the very center of things, using Thunder and Lightning on any enemies within range. Canas and Will had an easy enough time guarding the tent, and Matthew helped out when he came to drop off treasure. It wasn't really a problem, since mostly only Pegasus Knights came, and Will was able to get rid of them easily.

I went with Eliwood's group around. The fighting was rather light, since most of the enemies were drawn over to the side with Hector. We tore down the weak walls in our path rather easily. Eliwood would hit them, then Rebecca would shoot at the crack in the wall, and I would throw a Javelin to break it down. Guy did most of the fighting, since as a Myrmidon, he was able to dodge everything headed his way and hit the enemies' weak points.

Ninian's energy-restoring dance sped up our march around, and we managed to break the outer wall of the Dragon's gate proper. There, we saw a set of chests, with a thief picking the last one. As he slipped a Staff into his bag, Eliwood, Rebecca and I quickly surrounded him. The main reason for this was to take his treasure before we killed him, but as I moved in to grab the bag, he handed it over. "Here. Take it! I surrender!" He said, throwing down his sword.

This confused Eliwood. "Wait, but aren't you Black Fang?" The thief chuckled. "_Former _Black Fang. So, can I join up with you?" Eliwood was thinking this over when he offered something extra. "If you let me join, I'll give you this." As he showed it to us, he smiled. "This is a Member's card, that'll give you access to Secret shops. The challenge is finding them."

Eliwood finally caved, since I wanted that Member's Card, Rebecca and Ninian wanted to give him a second chance, and Guy didn't care either way. Priscilla wasn't with us, since we sent her over to heal up those on Hector's side. "I'm Legault, and I'm sure I'll learn all your names later." He said, picking up his sword, but I took his treasures. Good thing I did too, since he had a Guiding ring and a Barrier Staff.

Finally, the chests were all emptied and we were closing in on Lord Darin. "Go wild." was the only order I had to give them. Lord Darin looked at the three lordlings with… well, I'm not sure what it was. It looked to be a mix of malice and glee. Hector swung his Wolf Beil, which the General sidestepped and attacked with his Hand Axe, while When Eliwood tried to stab forward, he blocked with his Silver Lance. This went on for a while until I noticed something.

"Wait a minute, where's Lyn?" I wondered aloud. All three of the current combatants stopped to look around as Lyn dropped down from the ceiling onto Lord Darin's back. With her Mani Katti, she quickly cut off his armour. "Eliwood, Now!" The red-haired Lord took the cue and plunged his Rapier into Darin's heart.

As he lay bleeding from the fatal wound, he lay calling out, "Ephidel, come attend your master! No.. I was to rule all of Lycia, no the Wor-" He was cut short as the final breath of air left him.

Behind, the throne, we saw a walkway through to the inner sanctuary of the Dragon's Gate. Eliwood, Hector, Lyn, Ninian and I ran through, while we gave everyone else the order to pack up and light the signal fire to alert Fargus.

The inside appeared to be made out of a green tile while glowing rocks embedded in the walls gave light to the long staircase up. We all ran up, Ninian behind us. Eliwood and I called out, "Father/Marquess Pharae? Rachel? "After a few more shouts, we heard a weak voice calling. "Eli… Wood?" Eliwood answered, "Father! Where are you?" Lyn's keen Sacaean ears were able to pinpoint the voice in the dim light. "Eliwood, it's coming from back there!" We ran up the staircase and at the top was Lord Elbert and a barely breathing Rachel.

Eliwood knelt down by his father. "Father! You're alright!" Lord Elbert, unable to stand looked up at his son. "Eliwood? Forget about me! Take your friends and flee now!" Ephidel stepped out of the shadows, a wicked dagger at her throat as he pulled her body upright by her hair. "I have a better idea. You hand over the girl, or this one loses her life."

Ninian stepped forward. "Don't hurt her! I'll do what you want!" Ephidel smiled in a spine-chilling way. "I thought so." He said, throwing Rachel, who Lyn expertly caught. Ninian stared into the Dragon's Gate, and seemed to lose all connection to the world around her. Lord Elbert cried out, "No! That girl is the key to the dragon's Gate!"

Hector grabbed Lord Elbert, as gently as he could, of course, as we ran for the exit. Eliwood was practically dragging Ninian by her arm. However, on the staircase, a man in a cloak holding twin daggers appeared. "You shall not pass here."

Just his presence would have made me quake in fright, but enough had happened today that the adrenaline pumping through all of us strengthened our resolve. "Who are you?" Lyn asked, handing Rachel to me and grabbing the hilt of her sword as Eliwood did the same. However, Lord Elbert called out to us. 'No! You cannot fight that man. He is dangerous!" Eliwood looked back at his father. "I understand, but this danger must be faced."

Ephidel spoke once again. "Do as your father says, Eliwood. You have n hope of besting him, even in a group." He hen looked right past us. "Excellent work Jaffar. Now return to Bern for your next assignment." The man disappeared into the darkness, which seemed to be happening more and more with them.

Our attention was by a deep voice that seemed to be serenading Ninian. "Yes Ninian, open the gate!" Marquess Pharae shouted at him. "No! You can't call the dragons!" We all looked between the two men. "What are you talking about?" Suddenly, Marquess Pharae collapsed as if he was hit by a Nosferatu, but it was also different in a way.

Ninian started muttering. "… Power… More Power…" Nergal kept serenading her. "Yes, my dear. Call forth the dragons!" Ninian kept muttering. "Yes… Call.. Dragons. Come… children of flame…"

The ground began to shake under our feet as we all watched in horror and shock as a dragon began to come out of the portal. Nergal continued. "Yes! Use every ounce of power in your body!"

"Ninian, stop!"

We turned to the voice as a small boy who looked very much like Ninian. Lyn recognized him. "Nils!" while Ephidel growled. "You.." He ignored both of them. "Ninian, come to your senses!"

She blinked, her demeanour changed for a minute. "Nils?" She lost her concentration and the dragon failed to come through entirely. Nils began to run, pulling his sister. "You won't escape!" Nergal cried, but as he raised his arm, Lord Elbert slashed at it, stopping him from casting a spell, despite the power of the dragon killing him. As we ran, Nergal warped away. However we heard Ehpidel cry out in pain as the collapsing dragon burned him to ashes.

_AN: Woo. Finally done! This took a long time to write. I blame DoA Dimensions and Minecraft. I'm going away for all of July, so this will be the last update for a while, but if you want to see more of my work, please read Megaman: Hero's Rebirth. I want to thank Nomey1 for help with this chapter. Remember, R&R!_


	12. Rising from the Ashes

_Alright, been putting this off long enough. Time to step back into writing the fanfic that people actually read and review. Go easy on me, since I've been away for a month, and had no time to write down ideas. Anyways, my camping trip was fun. Saw a bunch of birds, fish, and a seal. I honestly have no idea how people pad out these author's notes._

**Chapter 12: Rising from the Ashes**

As we loaded all of our gear on Fargus' ship, a depressing atmosphere came with us. We all knew why we felt this way. First, we had failed in our initial mission: to find and save Eliwood's father. Second, Rachel was on the brink of death from trying to fight Nergal, and finally, because of Rachel's attempt at fighting him, we knew none of us could lay a finger on him. The fact he was trying to lure dragons back to Elibe wasn't helping anyone's mood either.

Seeing her condition, the pirates helped us make a makeshift medical station in the hold, meaning everyone was sleeping with the gear they couldn't fit into Merlinus' tent. No one really minded, except for Serra who had to spend a good portion of the day down there, but she toned it down quite a bit, seeming to grasp the gravity of the situation. When I visited her, usually Priscilla was monitoring her, and Raven seemed to hang around below deck when she was. Maybe he had a thing for her? Oh well, that's not important right now.

I looked over to Priscilla as a small beam of sunlight shone through a crack in the overhead wood. "So, you can't heal her?" Priscilla dismally shook her head. "I wish I could. But we have to let her heal on her own. Some staves, like Fortify and Recover, can heal any injury, no matter what. However, most healing staves require some energy from the patient, and I'm afraid Rachel doesn't have any energy left to give." In an attempt to lighten the mood, she continued. "However, her breathing is more regular and she has come into consciousness a few times, but not enough to say anything. Just long enough for a bit of food and some water.

I nodded, thanked the Troubadour, and left, closing the door behind me. In order to distract myself, I decided to look at the treasures we had collected. Out of my bag, I pulled a Hero's Crest, a Knight's Crest, an Orion's Bolt, and another Guiding Ring. I spent a good deal of time thinking about who to give these promotion items to, I made my way over to Merlinus' tent to collect some armour and clothes for my chosen candidates for promotion.

As I carried my bundle, I bumped into Rebecca. "Ah, Rebecca. Just the girl I was looking for!" At her look of surprise, I elaborated. "Can you get Erk, Oswin and Raven, them come meet me in my cabin?" She nodded. "Uh, okay. I'll do that." I smiled at the shorter girl. "Thanks. See you soon."

In about an hour, Erk came in, followed by Rebecca and Raven, who leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, while Oswin stood outside with the door open, since there wasn't enough space with my gear for all five of us. "Alright, first off, Erk. I'm promoting you to a Sage." I handed him the Guiding Ring as well as a cape. "You can trade in your mage robes for this now. Be sure to pick up a Heal Staff soon." He bowed and nodded. "I understand. Thank you."

I grabbed the next item next to me, the Orion's Bolt. "Alright, Rebecca, this is for you. I've seen your skill, and I feel you're worthy of this." I reached behind me and handed her a large bow and leather body armour. "Now you're a Sniper. Now know that we'll be counting on you even more with you're new power." She nodded in understanding, running off, happy as a schoolgirl.

Next was the Hero's Crest. "Raven, I want you to have this Hero's Crest. I've seen you fight, and I think you're more then ready to become a Hero." Raven didn't move, he just nodded. "Thanks." I walked over to him, handing him the Crest, as well as the shield I had for him. "Now be sure to grab an axe. There's plenty of iron ones with Merlinus."

As Raven left, Oswin waked in. "I assume you wish to promote me." I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it as I remembered how Erk, Raven, and Rebecca had passed him on the way out. "Yes. Here's the Knight's Crest, but you'll need to get the armour from Merlinus. There's no possible way I could carry it all." Oswin nodded. "I understand. Thank you Adam." He said, leaving.

That night, I wandered out onto the ship's deck. "Hey. Can't sleep?" I whirled at the voice. Lying down was Lyn. "No. You?" She shook her head. She sat up as I sat down next to her. "I just miss the open air and the stars." After a few moments of silence, she leaned over to me. "There's nothing any of us could have done. Rachel's healing. We just need to look forward to the future."

I moved away from her. "It's not just that. I was your tactician. I was supposed to lead you to victory, keep everyone safe. Instead, we rushed headlong into a trap, nearly losing Rachel and Ninian as well." Lyn waited a few moments, carefully thinking of a response.

""It's not your fault, and you know it!" as I was about to respond, she cut me off. 'You're only human, and humans make mistakes. There was no way you could have anticipated for Nergal, or his minion." I knew she meant the knife-wielding assassin, not the late Ephidel.

"I sighed in defeat. "You're right. I was just being childish. We reach Badon tomorrow. Time to start fresh." Lyn patted me on the back. "There we go. Now we should get to sleep soon." She said as we both went below deck. I bade her a good night at her cabin that she shared with Florina and Fiora.

Winds delayed us, so we got into Badon that evening, but it was hardly a setback. We rented rooms in a local inn, unloaded all our gear, then settled in for the night. Rachel was improved slightly, and was awake for hours at a time, but was sleeping. The physical and emotional strain took it's toll on all of us, and so we settled in for the night.

I woke up in the middle of the night sweating. It was a lot quieter when I went to bed. Also, the breeze from the open window was gone, replaced by something that smelled like smoke. Wait, SMOKE! That set off alarm bells in my head as I grabbed my lance and ran out, where I met Lyn and Hector. "Get everyone you can, and meet us outside, NOW!" I ordered them.

We reconvened outside, having woken everyone but Rachel. We left Nils and Ninian inside as well. I passed out Torches. "Alright, Florina, Fiora, go warn all the residents of the danger." As they took off, the enemy closed in on us. "shit! We have to beat them back fast!"

Ninian ran out. "Lord Eliwood, let me help you!" He looked at her, "Ninian, it's not safe. Go wait inside." at her persistence, Eliwood caved, and she performed a dance unlike anything I'd seen before. Eliwood stared in awe as a blue veil surrounded him. "What's happening?" Ninian smiled. "I used Nini's Grace to protect you, like I did with Rachel."

Eliwood charged the nearest Monk, who's Shine tome bounced off without leaving a scratch. I sent Kent, Sain, and Will up north, where they cleared out any enemies, and Will came back riding a Ballista, firing the bolts where he could see enemies, so I left Legault with him, since thieves have keener eyes.

As we slowly pressed forward, Florina and Fiora came back with aids the villagers had given us. A Restore staff, which I passed off to Priscilla, a Light Rune, which I pocketed, an Elysian Whip, and a Wyrmslayer, which Lyn took off my hands.

To my surprise, I got a call from Matthew. "Wyverns!" Sure enough, as I looked up, there were two Wyvern Riders circling overhead. Rebecca shot one down right away with a second Ballista. As the second rider swooped down to get revenge for his Comrade, a green blur flew by as Lyn beheaded the dragon, and Erk finished him off with a both of Thunder magic.

Matthew peered off in the distance. "There! He looks like the leader!" There were only a few black silhouettes as far as I could see, so I had to trust his judgment. Legualt ran up to look, "Oh, and is that a Hero's Crest on him?" I looked at the two thieves. "Can you get that off him?" Matthew smiled. "I can do better. I'll lead him here into the light for you."

Sure enough, Mathew came running back, and as son as he passed, I put my plan into action. The Warrior leading the enemy ran straight ahead, axe raised, into the Light Rune I placed after Matthew came by. "Now!" I ordered, and Rebecca and Will fired a flurry of arrows at him, while Canas, Erk, Serra and Lucious were all casting spells in tandem.

After the second volley, he fell. Lyn smiled at me. "See, you can do it." Rachel walked out, looking pale, but better, Nils supporting her. "I heard all the noise. Why'd you start without me?" She joked, even managing to make a smile to cross Raven's lips. Everything was looking up for us at the moment!

A few minutes later, Eliwood and hector pulled us aside, and Hector handed me a bag of gold, while Eliwood did the same to Rachel. We looked at them, puzzled. "What's this for?" Eliwood began to explain. "That's for your services so far. We have a long journey ahead of us. If you want to leave, now's the time."

We looked at each other, then back at the two Lords. "We're not going to leave your sides. We're going to make sure everyone makes it to the end!" Rachel said defiantly. Eliwood smiled. "I hoped that would be your answer. " The four of us rejoined the rest of the army. "Alright, pack up. If we don't leave soon, we can expect another attack, and we need to find somewhere to rest." Hector said, while Rachel, Eliwood, Lyn and I all plotted our next course of action. Soon, we agreed to meet Marquess Ostia, a plan only hector had a problem with, since he had been lazy in writing to his brother. Checking the maps, we chose a fortress between Tiria and Ostia as our meeting place. We sent a rider off ahead with the letter, then prepared to move out.

_So, how was it? I decided I'll update this and Megaman: Hero's rebirth on alternating weeks, unless I get stuck with one. Also, check it out. I'm proud of it. And a always, read and review! Constructive criticism is always welcome!_


	13. Chapter 13

_Hey, so sorry for this delay, I just wanted to think this over and make it really good. The reason is because I see Fire Emblem as a three act story. Act 1 is Lyn's story, Act 2 is Chapter 11-20, and Act 3 is 21-Epilouge. Since I skipped Act 1 because it's boring, this is the beginning of the final act. Well, enjoy._

**Chapter 13: Ties of Loyalty**

Well, we were setting off on our journey. This time, we were retracing our steps to Ostia to meet Lord Uther. We had decided to meet somewhere outside Ostia Castle Town, since him leaving for a day would be less suspicious then Eliwood and Lyn, as well as two teenage Ilian tacticians requesting a private audience.

We took turns sleeping in the wagons since we were all exhausted from our last night battle, and we really needed to move as fast as possible to try and end this. The terrain looked very familiar, Suddenly, it hit me. This all looked familiar because it was our third time crossing the Lycian territories. We decided to meet him in an old fortress between Thria and Ostia. Half a day's journey for the Marquess, one and a half form us.

Finally, we reached the fortress. Marcus and one of Lady Elanora's paladins, Isadora, rode on ahead to alert Marquess Ostia of where to meet, as well as some of the details of what we found out. We began to unpack and set up camp, since we intended to spend the night in this fortress, despite its state of disrepair. Now all we had to do was wait, since we received a message saying Marquess Ostia was on his way.

The wait passed rather quickly as Oswin helped me with my lance work, and Canas and Rachel sat off by themselves. From what I saw, they were immersed in the books Canas dragged with him about arcane magic and history. Of course, the wait was dragged out by everyone's favourite pink-haired Cleric (or Bishop by this point)

"This is boooring!" Serra whined loudly, so everyone heard her. Well except for Canas and Rachel, both tuning out the world to focus on their books.

Priscilla, thankfully, spared us by trying to talk Serra down. "Serra, just calm down. Why not practice your light magic?"

"I can't!" She complained. "Matthew ran away and Erk won't stay still! And I'm not allowed to use those Shine tomes."

"With good reason." I heard behind me. I whirled and saw Matthew. "When did you get there?" He flashed a cheeky grin. "A minute or two ago, trying to escape from her."

Out of nowhere, a loud thumping sound cuts off Serra's tirade which I stopped paying attention to. In the back, Ninian was calling in the silence. "Nils? Nils!" Eliwood, Hector, Lyn, Rachel and I all ran off to see what happened.

We ran in to see Nils collapsed on the ground with Ninian over him, looking down onto him. "Nils!" Lyn cried. "You okay?" Hector added, as they joined Ninian by his side.

"Nils! Open your eyes!" Ninian cried, tears visibly forming in her eyes.

"Ninian!" Eliwood said loudly, "Calm down!" Rachel gently shook her to snap her back out of hysteria.

"Ah", Ninian said, "I… "

"Let's move him into the back room and call a healer." Hector says.

"You mustn't move him!" Ninian suddenly exclaims.

Everyone's eyes grow wide. What was going on with Ninian? Why would she tell us not to move him? Did she sustain a head injury?

Hector asks, "Huh?"

Lyn asks, "Ninian?"

"I'm sorry, I… Um… Please, just for now… Don't move him." Ninian explains quietly and hesitantly while being released from Eliwood's arms.

"But…" Hector says unsure.

"Please…" She is literally begging at this point.

"…. Let's do as Ninian asks. She must have her reasons." Eliwood said, ending the discussion.

Looking around, I noticed a bunch of knights in green armour. The Ostian Knights had arrived. I even reconized a few of them from my time there. It did make me feel a bit safer, if a bit over the top. Then again, this is the leader of Lycia we're talking about.

Out of nowhere, one of them came running in. "Milords, we're under attack! The enemy's within the walls already." I groaned. "Just peachy." I pulled Rachel out of her reading session with Canas to plan a battle strategy as the Shaman grabbed his books and got ready for battle.

We had a good look of the fortress on the way in, so we had a general idea of what we needed. Florina and Firoa were going to the west entrance, along with eliwood and Matthew. Priscilla would be watching them. Lyndis, Kent, Sain, and Will were going to the east, while Oswin and Raven would lead a frontal charge to the main entrance, supported by Rebecca, Erk and Serra. Hopefully, Rebecca could use one of the Ballistae to help us.

As we got ready to begin our counter-attack to repel these attackers and protect Nils from harm, Legault tapped us on the shoulder. "Hey, guys. Follow me, and bring the Member's Card." Since I was planning on going with Eliwood's group, I followed, dragging Rachel along.

He led us into a far corner. "Look at this tile. See how it's different?"

Rachel looked at him skepticly. "Yes, so? What about it?"

"Here." He said, taking the card. "Watch." He worked the card through a thin crack in the tile. After a few seconds, the card was pushed back through. As he picked it up, a hatch swung open. Looking inside, we saw a large shop, with new staves and medicines on the shelves. Running this shop was a red-haired woman. "Hee hee, anything you're looking for?" She asked.

"This is a secret shop. They have nice things, so keep your eyes peeled." He said, leaving us to go rejoin the battle. Rachel and I exchanged glances. It was eerie down there, but seeing as the staves were Physic and Barrier staves, we bought as many as we could carry. Rachel carried them back to Merlinus' tent while I rejoined Eliwood's group.

I saw Matthew had just picked the door lock and right there, we saw a large green wyvern waiting for us. Eliwood levelled his steel sword as Florina and I prepped our Javelins. The Wyvern Rider pointed his lance at the ground. "Wow, slow down! I cane to surrender."

I was terrified because, growing up in Ilia, I was used to Pegasi, and wyverns were a massive shock, but I'd adapt. /Eliwood was stunned for most likely a similar reason, and Florina was most likely terrified because the man looked pretty imposing atop his wyvern. "Harming women and children isn't something I take pleasure in. May I speak to the commander of this group?" The comment was clearly directed at me and Eliwood.

"I withered under his imposing figure, so I let Eliwood take this one. "I am. I am Lord Eliwood. What's your name?"

"Heath, sir." He said. Seeing Eliwood trusted him, Florina and I lowered our spears.

Eliwood nodded. "A pleasure to meet you, Sir Heath." This opened up a world of possibilities, since while Florina and Fiora were fast, they didn't have much defense or bulk. This would help planning quite a bit, as well as lower some risk. Matthew retuened with a sack of gold coins and a Brave Axe.

We moved in towards the main entrance where Rebecca fired off a bolt from the ballista while Raven charged, an axe in his hand, his shield covering his exposed side. Soon after, we heard a retreat called by an enemy soldier. As we regrouped toward Nils, I saw Lyn and Rachel near a nomad. Lyn ran up to me.

"Adam, I'd like you to meet Rath. He'll be joining us." She said excitedly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Rath." I said to him.

"….. Nice to meet you." He said, giving a curt nod before heading off to store his equipment.

Soon after, Lord Uther appeared. I kind of hid behind Hector as we met him, but of course he reconized me. "Ah, Adam. I wondered where you had gone. At least you helped keep my brother safe."

I smiled sheepishly. "I try, milord." I quickly got everyone back on track. "So, I assume you know what we needed to speak to you about?"

He nodded solemnly. "Indeed. Leila's last report detailed much." After a bit of chatter clearing up a few details, such as Nergal's true goals, Lord Uther excused himself to think of what we should do next.

After an hour of thinking, he returned to us. "I believe I know what you have to do. You must head west. In the Nabata Desert, you will meet a living legend. And don't worry Eliwood, I will send extra guards to Castle Pharae."

He nodded. "Thank you, Marquess. We'll rest here tonight before setting off." We found several matresses in the run-down fortress for Nils, Ninian, and the lords. As we went to sleep, it seemed like the stars were shining brighter, as if they were praying for our success.

_So, how'd you like it? I personally think it's much better then anything else I;ve written. Also, give me some support ideas. Who should I pair up with who? Oh, and I've noticed all my chaoters are about 1500-2000 words. Whe I see other people's stories, it feels like my writing is inadiquite. Any suggestions on how to extend each chapter would be nice._


	14. Desert Guardians

_Woo1 Finally got this written. I'm on a rotating schedule between my three stories, and both school and Legend of Zelda 3D have slowed down my progress. Now I'm tempted to give Hector a Biggoron Sword. Hold on, give me a minute._

_Alright, got all the Zelda out of my mind. On to the show!_

**Chapter 14: Storm of Sand**

I hate the desert. A lot. There is very little I like about it. There is sand everywhere, and after a while, it gets in your clothes, your bedroll, and sometimes your food. On top of that, the beating sun makes your water run out so much faster then it should. I'm so grateful Marquess Ostia gave us a second supply wagon, mostly full of barrels of water.

Of course, at least it is possible to get a brief respite from the heat. Florina, Fiora, and Heath let some of us walk under the wings of their mounts, which provided a fair bit of shade while he had our turn. I did notice Rachel talking with Heath quite a bit, but we usually talked quite a bit to new members of our army. Plus, a wyvern rider is a nice addition to have on our team.

But by far, night is the worst. The second the sun sets, the temperature drops like a rock. Staying warn is almost impossible, and almost everyone wakes up curled in a ball. In order to survive, we've adopted a new travel schedule. We get up early, and camp is usually broken before sunrise. When the sun is high enough, we stop for about four hours, then continue until the sun begins to set. We manage to move rather quickly, despite all our horsemen being slowed down dramatically by the sand.

So, yeah. Boiling during the day, freezing at night. There's only one way this can get any worse.

"I'm tired! When are we stopping for a rest?"

Add in one pink-haired cleric, and you quickly get two tacticians on edge with a migraine all the time.

"Serra. Calm down. We're al suffering." Thank you Erk. Took the words out of my mouth.

"But it's hot! And I'm tired! And there's sand in my shoes!" I'm sure if we left her here, no one would miss her. And no one would find the body. I know it's wrong, but I think my brain's melted into a pile of mush.

Rachel, thankfully, had a bit more sense of mind. "Serra, the less you talk, the faster we travel. If you don't want to walk, go ride with Priscilla. I'm sure she'd love to hear about your skill with a staff."

She was a lifesaver. "Of course! After all, I can't be the only one doing any work! I have to make sure her skill won't slow me down!" She said, leaving us to go talk with Priscilla. Poor girl. And I think she's a bit better with a staff then Serra. Oh well, she's not my problem for the time being.

While I do complain, I really do feel sorry for Oswin in this heat. After all, sweltering in that armour cannot be good for his health. However, at night, I pity Florina and Rebecca. They're both so small, I wouldn't be surprised if the other girls didn't have to thaw them out every morning.

Anyways, we had spent five days in the Nabata Desert, which was five more days then I wanted to spend, when the sandstorm hit. The winds were blowing sand every which way, cutting visibility a lot. Matthew and Legault were leading us with their keen eyes.

Off in the distance, we saw a red flash. Erk, standing nearby, pulled his hood up to try and help with the sand. "That flash was most definitely an Elfire spell." I looked him over, but his hood prevented me from reading his face. "One hundred percent. There is a fight happening, and with our luck, we'll get drawn into it."

I simply nodded, and walked over to where Rachel was happily chatting with Canas about something. I tapped Rachel on the shoulder. "Hey Rachel, we've got a problem." She turned around, beaming. "Actually, this is a great chance for us! Canas has kindly informed me that this desert is littered with magical artifacts. If we could find some, they would surely be nice to have."

I looked her in the eye. She seemed like this treasure hunt would be important to her. "Alright. Matthew, Legault!" I called. The two thieves popped up, seemingly out of nowhere. "You called, boss?" Matthew asked. Rachel started talking before I could get a word in. "We need you two to use your noses for treasure. Find the magic artifacts in the sand please." Before they could say anything, Rachel added a deal breaker that made my gold purse cry in pain. "Anything you find, we'll buy back for 150 percent of the appraised cost." God, I hope my severence payment from House Ostia was big enough to cover this.

As I contemplated a battle plan, I realized we needed to see who was fighting. I knew Florina would be uneasy giving me a ride, and Heath was a fairly new addition, leaving one option. "Fiora!"

The Pegasus Knight flew over. "Chief?"

"I need a lift over to see who's fighting over there. Think you can take me?" She nodded, reaching a hand down to pull me onto the back of her Pegasus. I always liked flying, but strategy always seemed to be my calling. Down below, I saw Rachel rally our mages and put them in the front lines, Serra's Torch staff clearing away parts of the storm.

As we flew overhead, dodging arrows and magic blasts, I noticed two things. First, Fiora was exceptionally good at dodging at the last second. The second thing I noticed was a small house. I made a mental note to visit it later. Soon enough, we drew in close to the mage from before, and my eyes widened from shock.

"Lord Pent!" I cried out, as I tossed a javelin at a nearby archer, right through his throat. He smiled. "Adam. How nice to see one of my students here. Is Rachel around?" I nodded. "She's over back that way leading the soldiers we have with us." he gave me a questionable look. "I'll explain later. Fiora, drop me off at that house, and take Lord Pent over to Rachel."

She nodded as I hoisted him up onto the back of the Pegasus. Near the house, Fiora let me slide off, then flew off. I checked the door, and finding it unlocked, walked inside. There, sitting in a chair, was a small girl. Not something you see every day in the desert. She seemed quite happy to see a visitor. "Hello Miss." I say to her.

"Hello mister." Yup. Definitely happy to see a visitor. "I'm watching the house. Do you know how to do that?"

Deciding to humour her, I simply replied, "No. You do?"

She nodded so fast, I'm surprised she didn't get a concussion. "It means you have to sit here and be good. Are you looking for treasure like the guy who came by earlier?" Did she mean Lord Pent? He did seem to be holding something.

She motioned for me to come closer. I walked over to her and bent down to get to her eye level. "There's something good buried near the bones." She whispered. As I stood up to leave, she smiled. "I know things like that. Nice seeing you mister."

I waved good-bye to her. "Good-be Miss." I closed the door behind me, needing to pass that tip off to Matthew. "Hey Adam, fancy meeting you out here." Speak of the devil. "Miss me?"

"Matthew." I smiled. "Where's everyone else?" He smirked, clearly able to see them. "What's it worth to you?"

"Information."

He pointed to the west. "Thanks. Look near the bones for treasure." He nodded, running off. Soon enough, I saw Lyn fighting with a very large man wielding a very large axe. I quickly joined them. "Hey Lyn. Who's the axeman?" She looked at him a little uneasily. "His name's Hawkeye. He said that he's defending this desert." I gave her a puzzled look. "I don't get it either. Let's just finish this."

We found someone who looked like a marauder if I ever saw one. He was wearing an open blue vest, and by his voice, had no definite gender. He tossed a Hand Axe at me. I used my lance to block it. The handle splintered and cracked, but the axe didn't go through. While he was focoused on me, Lyn ran up and slashed him, followed by Hawkeye's axe in his back. "Oh, Jasmine!"

I looked at Lyn, and we shared a glance that said, "_That this was a dude?"_ We left to go take out any more bandits. Soon enough, I saw someone like the bandit we had just fought, except with a red motif. Eliwood was fighting with it, ducking under it's guard to stab with his rapier, but the finishing blow came from behind him. "Flux!" A dark spell from Rachel struck it, making it stagger, when Hector struck it down with his Wolf Beil. "Oh, Paul!"

I poked it with my splintered lance. "This must be Jasmine. We already fought Paul." The storm was clearing up, and Pent walked over to us. "Ah, how nice of my two best students to pay me a visit. Hawkeye, I have what I came for."

The large Berserker (As I identified him as) nodded. "Why have you come to this wasteland?"

I nudged Rachel forward. "You take this one." I whispered, both of us intimidated by Hawkeye. "We came seeking a Living Legend."

He seemed to be lost in thought. "A living legend…?" He then began to walk. Come on. It's getting dark. Desert night are treacherous. Thanks, we already know.

As we began to march after him, Matthew and Legault found us, with their treasures. Matthew had a Light Brand, an Eclipse tome, and a Guiding Ring. Legault had an Ocean Seal and a Body Ring. Seeing the items, I groaned, and paid them a hefty sum of gold. Legault weighed it in his hand. :"That's about half."

I nodded, "Go find Rachel for the rest. Also, give these to Merlinus." I said, as the thieves ran off. I fetched a new lance, now being able to use steel lances, which weighed a fair bit more, but they seemed to be stronger. I looked at the Guiding Ring, the only thing Matthew had left with me, rolling it between my fingers. I waited around for the horsemen, fetching one last thing from Merlinus.

Finally, the red-haired troubador I was waiting for showed up. "Priscilla!" I called. She stopped, and waited for me to run over to her. "Here. Take these." I said, giving her the ring and a Fire tome. "I decided you were ready to become a Valkyrie." She seemed lost for words; did she not expect to be promoted? "You should notice a power boost, but well be expecting more of you." She nodded, urging her horse to catch up. The sun was setting, so we'd have to pitch our tents soon anyways. At least the hope of this "Living Legend" existing would keep us warmer through the sub-zero temterture.

_I would like to thank all my reviewers. I think this was a bit rushed, but I really wanted to get this up. I think it turned out okay. Please read and Review, and tell me if I should do the Gaiden Chapters. (22x, and by extention 32x.) I'm on a rotating schedule, so my Megaman stories will most likey be updated before this again._


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